Internet-based applications and services are often provided to a network by a chain of administrative domains. For example, administrative domains of service providers in a chain of service provider (referred to herein as a “SP chain”) may convey packets for a given Internet Protocol (IP) service or application. Network parameters of the connectivity provided by the SP chain (or any chain of administrative domains), such as bandwidth, may be limited by any of the administrative domains in the chain (i.e., the maximum bandwidth provided by an SP chain may be the lowest maximum bandwidth provided by the administrative domain of any service provider in the SP chain). Moreover, often, a chain of administrative domains provides static network parameters (i.e., a fixed maximum bandwidth) and the various administrative domains forming the chain are unable to communicate to coordinate any changes. Consequently, a network (i.e., a home network or enterprise network) can often only obtain upgraded network parameters (i.e., increased upload speed) by altering a monthly or yearly subscription.
Due to at least the aforementioned issues, obtaining connectivity for an IP application or service with suitable network parameters is often expensive and inefficient, especially for networks with shifting and dynamic needs (i.e., networks that intermittently or infrequently need increased upload speed, bandwidth, etc. for a particular service or application). The aforementioned issues may also limit the ability of a chain of administrative domains to identify and defend against network threats/attacks, such as a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.